A way-too-early Blackhawks roster projection for 2026-27

Posted March 20, 2026 2:57 pm

By Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus

It’s safe to say the Blackhawks were better this season than last. Aside from already surpassing last season’s point total, they have passed more of the eye test under first-year coach Jeff Blashill. Even as they’ve lost three key players at the trade deadline, they’re 4-2-2 in March following Thursday night’s 2-1 win in Minnesota, which snapped the Wild’s 19-game point streak against them.

So, what might next season bring? It might be really early to be analyzing next season — and there is the possibility general manager Kyle Davidson alters the roster with a trade this offseason or drafts someone who immediately jumps into the lineup — but that’s never stopped us before. Based on who is signed for next season and who is expected to join the team, here’s a look at what the 2026-27 Blackhawks lineup could look like.

Forwards

First line: Anton Frondell — Connor Bedard — André Burakovsky

Bedard has spent most of the season with rookie Ryan Greene and the veteran Burakovsky. And while Greene has been the more consistent linemate, Burakovsky’s ceiling is higher, and his first-half production earned Blashill’s trust to the point where he’s still on the top line despite having scored just two goals since Christmas. Frondell is a natural center, but with Bedard and Frank Nazar pretty well entrenched at 1C and 2C, the talented Swedish teenager figures to get a long look as Bedard’s long-term winger. The NHL will be a big step up for Frondell, who was the No. 3 pick in last year’s draft, but he scored 20 goals in 43 games in Sweden’s top league this season, proving he can play against older men.

Second line: Tyler Bertuzzi — Frank Nazar — Roman Kantserov

Bertuzzi is having arguably his best season as a pro, bringing consistent production and an aggressive forecheck on a nightly basis after a very streaky first season in Chicago. Nazar has spent roughly half his career NHL minutes with Bertuzzi, and they’re only a minus-3 together at five-on-five over 101 games, a pretty solid number for a team that’s usually drowning in goal differential. Teuvo Teräväinen has been Nazar’s next most common linemate, but Kantserov figures to bump the veteran out of the top six. At just 21 years old, Kantserov is the KHL’s leading scorer with 36 goals in 63 games. For comparison’s sake, Kirill Kaprizov had 30 goals in 57 games in his age-21 season in the KHL, and Artemi Panarin had just 11 in 43 games. Kantserov is undersized at just 5-9, but brings a ton of skill and playmaking ability to complement Nazar’s speed and Bertuzzi’s work around the net.

Third line: Nick Lardis — Oliver Moore — Teuvo Teräväinen

Moore started his NHL career on the wing, but was forced back into his natural center role when Bedard and Nazar were injured and thrived there. His speed and puck-hound mentality served him well up the middle, and while he’s hardly the defensive force Jason Dickinson was, he seems well-suited to centering a third line that’s more focused on scoring than simply checking. Lardis has shown flashes of that scoring ability that netted him 71 goals in the OHL last season, and when he’s on his game, he has a similar tenacity to Moore. Teräväinen isn’t the offensive weapon he was in his prime Carolina Hurricanes years, but he’s still a high-end passer and a strong two-way player whose veteran savvy would fit in well alongside two more aggressive young players.

Fourth line: Andrew Mangiapane — Ryan Greene — Ryan Donato

Greene has been a pleasant surprise as a steady presence on the top line this season, but he always seemed like a more likely long-term fit as a bottom-six center on a deeper, more talented team. Donato’s production has dropped off this season, but his usage has certainly had something to do with that. He was a frequent linemate of Bedard’s last season, but has been locked into the bottom six this season. Mangiapane, who was acquired as a cap dump from Edmonton in the Dickinson trade, is far from a lock to be on the roster next season; if he doesn’t impress down the stretch, he’s an obvious buyout candidate. But his scrappy play and willingness to go to the net have been noticeable so far, so he certainly can still lock down a spot. If not him, then there’s room for someone such as A.J. Spellacy, who has had a strong season in the OHL killing penalties and stirring up trouble and producing at a decent clip (13 goals and 19 assists in 51 games), to win a spot in training camp. There is also the possibility the Blackhawks re-sign Ilya Mikheyev. He was offered an extension before the trade deadline and turned it down. They’ll have time to revisit that before he actually hits free agency.

Extra forward: Landon Slaggert hasn’t scored much, but he’s had good underlying numbers with limited usage this season, and likely will be in and out of the lineup next year as well.

Defense

First pairing: Alex Vlasic — Artyom Levshunov

Vlasic and Louis Crevier have been a staple pairing for much of the season, but the Blackhawks recently rewarded Levshunov with the chance to play with Vlasic and correspondingly in more minutes. Levshunov saw a career-high 26-plus minutes of ice time on Tuesday. The Blackhawks have been encouraged with Levshunov’s play coming out of the Olympic break and believe he can be solid in the defensive zone and possess a ton of offensive upside. They want him to be physical and smart on the defensive side, but also be creative and play to his instincts elsewhere. Playing with Vlasic could help enable that. Vlasic has been used largely in a shutdown role the last few seasons, but playing with Levshunov could vary his deployment more. The Blackhawks like the idea of that pairing eating a lot of minutes and being used in every situation.

Second pairing: Wyatt Kaiser — Sam Rinzel

Kaiser had been paired with Levshunov a lot earlier in the season. In Rinzel, Kaiser gets another offensive-minded partner but with more predictability. That seems to better suit Kaiser; he doesn’t have to be so focused on defense and can activate himself more. He’s again been showing that all-around game more lately. Rinzel has been better since returning from Rockford. His confidence with the puck has returned, and he better understands where he needs to be positionally in the defensive zone. He can probably find another level in his offensive game and be even more aggressive, but that might need some time.

Third pairing: Kevin Korchinski — Louis Crevier

The assumption is Korchinski will be in the NHL come next season, as he’ll no longer be waiver-exempt at that point. With just four games in the NHL this season, though, he hasn’t built a lot of confidence that he will be ready for that. It feels like this is another important offseason for him. As for Crevier, he established himself as an NHL defenseman this season. He made the team largely because he wasn’t waiver-exempt and continued to earn more and more opportunity throughout the season. His strength is his defensive play, but he’s shown the ability to create offense off his hard shot, too.

Extra defenseman: Korchinski gets the benefit of the doubt because of where he was drafted and his offensive ceiling, but Ethan Del Mastro could steal that spot if he proves to be more reliable. Del Mastro has been getting a longer look in the NHL lately. He also won’t be waiver-exempt next season.

Goalies

No. 1: Spencer Knight

Knight has solidified himself as the Blackhawks’ starter this season. He has started a career-high 45 games and is in the upper half of the league with a .907 save percentage. He’s likely to get 50-60 starts a season for many years.

No. 2: Arvid Söderblom / Drew Commesso

Could the Blackhawks hold a competition for Knight’s backup next season? Time will tell. Söderblom hasn’t exactly secured the role. He has an .876 save percentage in 20 games this season. Commesso, who will be 24 in July, will be a fourth-year pro next season. He’s eager to take that next step. We’ll see what training camp brings.